Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Monday Movies at the Magic Lantern: ‘Call Her Ganda’

Dan Webster

June's selection for the Magic Lantern's Monday Movies series is a true-crime documentary that tackles several issues, among them sexual orientation and U.S.-Philippine relations. The film is titled "Call Her Ganda" and will play at 7 p.m. on, of course, Monday.

The film, directed by PJ Raval, follows the case of a Filipina trans woman named Jennifer Laude who was murdered on Oct. 14, 2014, by a U.S. Marine.

Here are some critical comments:

Juan Barquin, L.A. Weekly: " 'Call Her Ganda' works best when it's focused on Laude and the case of her murder, an overwhelming showcase of empathy and persistence in the face of American racism and transmisogyny."

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: "Even with its stumbling nature… 'Call Her Ganda' is still a valiant effort to fuse inquiry, testimony, heart and protest in dealing with its complex intertwining of facts and issues."

Ken Jaworski, New York Times: " 'My life has value,' Ms. Laude once declared. She was right, and this film takes that truth to heart."

Tickets to the Monday Movies series are $8. A post-screening discussion usually ensues.